Jackie Davies, C4D Network, attended the Oxford Urbanists, ThinkCity, and the Oxford Sustainable Urban Development Programme Roundtable event with Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat. Held in Oxford, UK earlier this month attendees had the opportunity to give their feedback and share ideas about how the UN can promote inclusive urbanisation.
Oxford Urbanists detailed the event: Ms. Sharif gave an opening speech relating her Malaysian background, growing up in a rural settlement, and coming to the UK for her studies to be a professional planner in her expanding role in local government. She discussed what she hopes to achieve as Executive Director of UN-Habitat, including the role of Oxford in expanding opportunities for wider participation by young people and academia in developing «true value» from urbanisation.
She also shared her nascent attempts to refine the agency’s vision and mission, and gauged from attendees what are the key recommendations that should be taken into consideration with regards to future trends in urbanisation, particularly with regards to social inclusion issues.